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The Week in Reviews, Op. 473: Maria Dueñas; Philippe Quint; Anne Akiko Meyers
In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world.
Violinist Maria Dueñas. Photo by Felix Broede.
Maria Dueñas performed with pianist Alexander Malofeev in her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall.
- Vulture: "Dueñas isn’t just good; she’s distinctive. In a program that spilled over into encores by Von Vecsey, Piazzolla, and Debussy, she charged each note with a buzzing energy that rocketed toward the plaster walls and drew the audience into the sound with electromagnetic force."
- Bach Track: "Dueñas navigated the score (of Szymanowski’s Sonata) with remarkable insight, transitioning seamlessly from dramatic bursts to delicate lyricism while maintaining a steady tempo and rarely yielding to rubato. She played with aplomb and decisiveness far beyond her years. "
Philippe Quint performed Errollyn Wallen's Violin Concerto and Lora Kvint’s Odyssey Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra with the North Carolina Symphony.
- Cultural Voice of North Carolina: "Quint’s outrageous technicality is beyond what one could conceive as reasonable for the violin, executed with absolute masterful perfection. He came on stage in relaxed clothing and with an equally relaxed personality, smiling through passages that seemed to bring him close to the edge of the something not humanly possible, riffing with the concertmaster – completely fluid and in the zone."
- EarRelevant: "The solo part appears (to this non-violinist) fiendishly difficult as well as catholic in its coverage of just about every technique available to the instrument (when plucked or played with a standard bow). In this case, the instrument was the 1708 'Ruby' Stradivarius, on which Mr. Quint handled all difficulties with a display of striking character and aplomb."
Anne Akiko Meyers performed the Canadian premiere of Arturo Márquez's Fandango for Violin and Orchestra with the Vancouver Symphony.
- Vancouver Classical Music: "The violinist always pushed forward with strength and feeling as if her life depended on it, while the conductor kept the orchestra tightly together, bringing life-enhancing emotional weight to the surging dance tunes. "
- Classical Voice North America: "Márquez’s work was instantly embraced, its Canadian launch an unqualified success."
Braimah Kanneh-Maison performed Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Violin Concerto in G minor with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra.
- Illinois Times: "(Conductor Taichi Fukumura) said the piece is 'full of expansive melodies and spontaneous musicianship,' and the acclaimed 26-year-old British violinist more than lived up to this description himself, infusing his playing with both aching beauty and raging fire as the composition demanded."
Benjamin Beilman performed Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 3 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
- Cincinnati Business Courier: "Beilman communicated the romantic themes of the first movement with mesmerizing beauty. After a big, romantic opening, he brought exquisite phrasing to the second, more lyrical subject. He soared through the movement’s treacherous passages easily, seeming to enjoy every moment as he moved and swayed along as he played."
Cellist Rainer Eudeikis performed Esa-Pekka Salonen's Cello Concerto (2017) with the composer conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
- San Francisco Classical Voice: "34-year-old Eudeikis...rose to the piece’s challenges — and then some. In the most furious passages, his bow never failed to catch the string just so. Every note clicked. Above all, at the highest reaches of his instrument’s fingerboard, he phrased with an otherworldly lyricism that added interest to the electronically enhanced episodes of the concerto — looped sections in which material that the cellist has already played echoes back."
Apollo’s Fire performed works by Bach at St. James Cathedral in Chicago.
- Chicago Classical Review: "In their concert of Brandenburg Concertos Saturday night at St. James Cathedral, Apollo’s Fire breathed new life into these familiar favorites while showcasing the virtuosity within their ranks. "
Christian Tetzlaff performed the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra at Cadogan Hall in London.
- Bach Track: " Christian Tetzlaff always delivers an interesting performance and while tastes may differ, his interpretation of the piece and the sheer virtuosity on display was impressive. "
Mariam Abouzahra won first prize at the Viotti International Violin Competition in Vercelli, Italy.
- The Strad: "Abouzahra is the youngest first prize winner in the history of the Viotti Competition, along with Domenico Nordio, who won in 1987. She is currently studying at the University of Music in Vienna with Dora Schwarzberg."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
You might also like:
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 472: Patricia Kopatchinskaja; Paul Huang; Augustin Hadelich
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 471: Gil Shaham; Karen Gomyo; Patricia Kopatchinskaja
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 470: Sayaka Shoji; Chenyi Avsharian; Rachel Podger
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